Vehicle Research

Ford's 2014 Global Strategy Includes Product Launches, New Plants

December 18, 2013
• by Staff

Photo: Ford Motor Company

In 2014, Ford Motor Company will launch 23 new vehicles to customers around the world, open three more manufacturing facilities and add more than 5,000 new jobs in the U.S. to meet growing demand for its products.

"Next year, we are embarking on our most ambitious global launch year ever to meet customer demand for our products around the world," said Raj Nair, group vice president, Ford global product development. "We are investing even more through our One Ford plan to serve more customers, in more segments – and deliver profitable growth."

In Asia Pacific Africa, Ford sold its 1 millionth vehicle in October. In the third quarter, Ford's market share in its fastest-growing region increased six-tenths of a percentage point, to 3.7 percent, according to the automaker. In China, the company's market share grew to a record 4.3 percent in the third quarter, up eight-tenths of a percentage point, reflecting very strong sales of Kuga, EcoSport and Focus.

"Our strategy in Asia Pacific is to serve our customers with even more One Ford products, and to increase our capacity to provide these great products with manufacturing hubs in China, India and ASEAN," said Dave Schoch, group vice president and president, Ford Asia Pacific. "With more products, plants and people, in 2014 we will take another significant step in the implementation of our Asia Pacific growth plan."

To support the onslaught of new products, Ford will open three new manufacturing facilities – two of them in Asia Pacific and one in South America.

Next year, Ford is on track to open its Changan Ford Assembly Plant No. 3 and Changan Transmission Plant in Chongqing, China, as well as Camaçari Engine Plant in Brazil. The new Chongqing Assembly Plant will increase the company's production capacity in China by 300,000 units next year.

"This is the fastest and most aggressive manufacturing expansion the company has undergone in 50 years," said John Fleming, executive vice president, Ford global manufacturing. "The last time Ford was growing like this, Dwight Eisenhower was the U.S. president."

To fuel this growth, Ford plans to hire more than 6,000 employees in Asia next year, the vast majority of them hourly employees. Similarly, in the U.S., Ford expects to create more than 5,000 new jobs, including 3,300 salaried positions, the largest hiring initiative since 2000. In the past two years, the company has created more than 14,000 jobs in North America alone.

More than 80 percent of the new salaried jobs will be technical professionals who work in product development, manufacturing, quality and IT.

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